Method of making a translucent graphic representation



Nov. 5, 1957 T. J. GESEK 2,811,800

METHOD OF MAKING A TRANSLUCENT GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION Filed Dec. 9,1954.

x b w CANDLE /PAPER 1 J /2 (HEATED PLATE WITH CANDLE WAX q :1 E MONaiawzfisz'cmx T I? J HEATED PLATE 4: .4 INVENTOR x amu- Ass LPAPERmpnscuxrm THADDEUS J GESEK ATTORNEYS United States Patent METHOD OFMAKING A TRANSLUCENT GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION Thaddeus J. Gesek, Leuox,Mass.

Application December 9, 1954, Serial No. 474,151

Claims. (Cl. 41- 21) This invention relates to ornamentation and moreparticularly to a method of making a translucent, graphic representationin color or in black and white on absorbent material capable ofimpregnation by wax or other oily substances which, when sealed betweensheets of transparent glass, or other materials provides an effectsimulating a stained glass window. This application is a continuation inpart of my co-pending application Serial Number 402,533, filed January6, 1954, and now abandoned.

Heretofore, the making of stained glass windows required the services ofa highly skilled artist and since the majority of such windows were madeup of a plurality of relatively small panels, it was necessary toproperly assemble such panels to provide a complete window. Obviously,such a procedure was exceedingly costly and consequently, theinstallation of stained glass windows was substantially limited torelatively large churches or other institutions which were economicallyin a position to bear the high cost. The method of this invention isintended to provide a relatively simple and economical way of producingsimulated stained glass window effects, but the use of the method is inno way limited to such windows, since the product produced thereby maybe utilized in any desired manner to display the translucent graphicrepresentation provided thereby.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method ofcreating effects simulating stained glass Windows which may beaccomplished by relatively unskilled personnel and which requiresrelatively simple and inexpensive materials, instruments and apparatus.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a method of makingsimulated stained glass windows which are economical and substantiallyweather and wear-proof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method of making atranslucent, graphic representation on absorbent materials capable ofimpregnation by wax or other oily substances.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simulatedstained glass window.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of atranslucent graphic representation on a sheet of translucent absorbentmaterial.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plane view of one panel of a simulated stained glass windowproduced in accordance with the method of this invention;

Fig. 2, a view in perspective showing an optional first step in themethod of this invention;

Fig. 3, an elevational view showing another step in one form of themethod of this invention;

Fig. 4, an elevational view similar to Fig. 3, and showing a third stepin one form of the method of this invention; and

Fig. 5, a fragmentary, elevational view showing the Patented Nov. 5,1957 ice structure of a simulated stained glass window panel produced bythe method of this invention.

With continued reference to the drawing, the first step of the methodmay be, if desired, comprise, the tracing in pencil of an outline 10 ofthe graphic or pictorial representation desired on a sheet of absorbentmaterial 11. This outline may, of course, be provided by other meanssuch as optically projecting the outline onto the surface of the sheetof absorbent material, or the outline may, if desired, be printedthereon. The material comprising the absorbent sheet 11 may be anymaterial capable of impregnation by wax or other oily substances such asvarious types of fabric, or may, if desired, be parchment or the skin orhide of an animal suitably treated and sufficiently thin to betranslucent when treated in accordance with the method of thisinvention.

If desired, however, the step of tracing or otherwise providing anoutline on the sheet of absorbent material 11, may be omitted, and thepictorial or graphic representation executed directly thereon by anartist in a manner to be later described.

If an outline is to be utilized as described above, the entire outlineof the design is provided on the sheet of absorbent material 11 andafter the outline is completed, or the design is supplied in the desiredmanner, the sheet of material 11 may be placed on a heated plate 12, asshown in Fig. 3, or the sheet 11 may be supported on any smooth surfacewhich may be heated in any desired manner, such as by placing the sameover the surface of a stove or other source of heat, and obviously, ifdesired, the plate 12 may contain heating coils, by which the same maybe electrically heated. Further, if desired, the temperature of theplate 12 could be automatically controlled by utilizing suitable controlmeans such as a thermostat.

With the sheet 11 in place on the heated plate 12, a candle 13 is rubbedover the surface of the sheet 11 and wax forming the candle 13 is meltedand impregnates the absorbent material forming the sheet 11, to renderthe same translucent. Obviously, a candle need not be used, but similarwax in block or stick form would be equally suitable for the purpose.Also it is not necessary to rub wax over the surface of the heatedabsorbent material 11, but this wax or other oily substance may beapplied in any other desired manner, such as by sifting powdered orflake wax thereon, or, if desired, the substance might be sprayed orotherwise applied to the sheet 11.

After complete impregnation of the absorbent sheet 11 by the candle wax,suitable colored wax crayons 14 may be utilized to fill in the outline10, and this coloring step is carried out with the sheet 11 positionedon the heated plate 12 or other suitable heated surface. During thisoperation the crayon wax is melted to such an extent that the same flowsalong the surface of the sheet for a limited distance which results in ablending of the colors in adjacent portions of the design. Aftercomplete coloring of the design with the wax crayons 14, the sheet 11 isremoved from the heated plate 12 and allowed to cool. Such coolingresults in a setting of the wax impregnating the sheet 11, as well asthe Wax deposited on the surface of such sheet by the crayons 14. Theresulting sheet will be somewhat stiffened by the hardened impregnatingwax, and since the same is translucent, the colored pictorial or graphicrepresentation will be illuminated and displayed in relatively brilliantoutline and color as the result of the passage of light raystherethrongh.

If desired, the above described method may be moditied to the extentthat the candle wax, or other oily substance utilized to impregnate theabsorbent material 11 may be applied to the surface thereof, prior toheating of the same and furthermore, the pictorial or graphicrepresentation may be filled in with the wax crayons or other suitableoily substance prior to such heating. As stated above, it is notnecessary to the operation of this method that an outline be provided onthe sheet of absorbent material, but the graphic or pictorialrepresentation may be executed thereon by an artist with the waxcrayons, mentioned above, and after completion of such representation,either by filling in a traced design or by artistically executing thesame, the sheet of absorbent material 11 with the impregnating wax andthe crayon wax thereon may be heated by any of the means set forth aboveto melt such wax, thereby impregnating the sheet of absorbent materialand at the same time, melting the wax applied from the crayons to blendthe same in the same manner as described above.

Either of the methods above described, will produce a suitable productand the same method steps will be followed regardless of whether theabsorbent material is paper, fabric, parchment or animal skin orotherwise, as mentioned above. A similar effect may be obtained byexecuting a graphic representation on a sheet of absorbent materialutilizing wax-like or other oily substances or a paint which istranslucent and thereafter impregnating the sheet with a wax-like orother suitable oily substance to render the same translucent.

If a dull or matt finish is desired, the impregnated paper may he simplyallowed to cool, as described above. However, should a glossy finish bedesired, the wax sur face or coating on the paper should be polishedduring or after completion of the cooling step.

Other textures and effects may be obtained in various ways. Forinstance, fine particles or" sand may be sifted or dusted over the waxwhile the same is melting or in a semi-liquid state, or if a marbelizedor speckled effect is desired, dilferent colored wax shavings may besprinkled on the melting or melted wax, thus blending the differentcolors in a more or less haphazard pattern.

Since the resulting product is relatively fragile and further, since thecoating of colored wax is susceptible to smearing in order to provide apractical and usable panel for a simulated stained glass window, thesheet of material 11 may be sealed between two sheets of glass 15 whichresults in excluding moisture and air therefrom to substantially preventdeterioration and also to prevent wear or disfigurement by contact withthe hands or adjacent objects. Sheets of transparent plastic material-or sheets of any other suitable transparent material, either flexibleor inflexible, may, of course, be substituted for the glass sheets 15and, if desired, the finished product comprising the absorbent sheet ofmaterial 11 with the graphic representation thereof, may be mounted andprotected in any other desired manner which will permit the passage oflight rays therethrough and which, at the same time, will preventdeterioration and disfigurement or damage thereto. If desired, however,the use of covering or protecting sheets may be dispensed with and thetranslucent sheet used alone.

In Fig. 5, there is shown to an enlarged scale, the

structure of a simulated stained glass window provided by the method ofthis invention and, as will be seen from an inspection of this figure,the wax-impregnated sheet 11 has applied thereto, a coating 16 ofcolored wax crayon and sheets of glass 15 enclosed the impregnated andcoated sheet 11, such glass sheets being sealed together outwardly ofthe edges of the sheet 11 in order to provide an air and moisture tightsandwich. Obviously if desired, suitable transparent, plastic plates orcovering material of any other suitable character may be substituted forthe glass'plates 15.

Fig. 1, shows the resulting product in plan with a colored pictorial orgraphix representation 17 enclosed in glass plate 15 which may beutilized as one panel in a multi-panel window or which may comprise thecomplete window formed of a single panel. The result is very similar tothat occasioned by viewing a conventional stained glass window producedin the conventional way and obviously, the method of this inventionpermits the production of a simulated stained glass window or atranslucent, pictorial or graphic representation for any other use for afraction of the cost arising from the creation of such a window by ahighly skilled artist.

The method of this invention results in a product having highly pleasingand dramatic characteristics and also such method readily lends itselfto use by relatively unskilled personel and, of course, the equivalentof the present system of number painting might well be used with themethod of this invention to permit the production of translucent,graphic or pictorial representations by relatively unskilled persons.Furthermore, the method of this invention provides an extremelyeconomical and convenient medium for use by art classes and the like, tofacilitate the teaching of an art medium quite different from thenormally accepted mediums of painting in oils, water colors and the useof pastel colors. Obviously, the materials required are readilyavailable and economical and thus the method of this invention is wellwithin the range financially, and technical capabilities of a fargreater number of people than is the case where relatively expensiveoils and brushes are required and also a high degree of artistic talent.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a translucent, pictorial representation in colorcomprising drawing a pencil outline of said representation on a sheet ofpaper, providing a heated plate, disposing said paper on said plate,rubbing candle wax over the surface of said paper to melt said wax andimpregnate said paper and render the same translucent and tracing andfilling in said outline with wax crayons of suitable colors whilemaintaining said paper heated to melt and blend said colors, therebyproviding a translucent pictorial representation in color and sealingsaid paper between sheets of glass to provide a simulated stained glasswindow.

2. A method of making a translucent pictorial representation in colorcomprising drawing a pencil outline of said representation on a sheet ofpaper, providing a heated plate, disposing said paper on said heatedplate, rubbing wax over the surface of said paper to melt said wax andimpregnate said paper and render the same translucent and tracing andfilling in said outline with wax crayons of suitable colors whilemaintaining. said paper heated to melt and blend said colors therebyproviding a translucent pictorial representation in color and sealingsaid paper between sheets of glass to provide a simulated stained glasswindow.

3. A method of making a translucent pictorial representation in colorcomprising a drawing a pencil outline of said representation on a sheetof paper, providing a heated plate, disposing said paper on said heatedplate, rubbing; wax over the surface of said paper to melt said wax andimpregnate said paper and render the same translucent and tracing andfilling in said outline with wax crayons of suitable colors whilemaintaining said paper heated to melt and blend said colors therebyproviding a translucent pictorial representation in color.

4. A method of making a translucent pictorial representation in colorcomprising drawing in pencil outline of said representation on a sheetof paper, heating said paper, rubbing wax over the surface of said paperto melt said wax and impregnate said paper and render the sametranslucent and tracing and filling in said outline with wax craycrayonsof suitable colors while maintaining said paper heated to melt and blendsaid colors thereby providing a translucent pictorial representation incolor and sealing said paper between sheets of glass to provide asimulated stained glass window.

5. A method of making a translucent pictorial representation in colorcomprising drawing a pencil outline of said representation on a sheet ofpaper, heating said paper, rubbing wax over the surface of said paper tomelt said wax and impregnate said paper and render the same translucentand tracing and filling in said outline with wax crayons of suitablecolors while maintaining said paper heated to melt and blend said colorsthereby providing a translucent pictorial representation in color.

6. A method, as defined in claim 5, which includes polishing the waxcoating on said paper to provide a 1 glossy finish.

7. A method, as defined in claim 5, which includes the step of siftingor dusting fine particles of sand on the melted wax to provide a roughfinish.

8. A method, as defined in claim 5, which includes the step ofsprinkling different colored wax shavings on the melted wax to provide amarbelized or speckled elfect.

9. A method of making a translucent graphic represen tation whichcomprises providing an outline of said representation on a sheet ofabsorbent material capable of impregnation by wax, heating said sheet,applying wax to the surface of said sheet to melt said wax andimpregnate said sheet and render the same translucent and tracing andfilling in said outline with wax crayons while maintaining said sheetheated to melt and blend the wax from said crayons thereby providing atranslucent graphic representation.

10. A method, as defined in claim 9, in which said outline is providedby optically projecting the same onto the surface of said sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,784Langenheim Nov. 19, 1850 191,174 Pfeil May 22, 1877 386,062 Durrin July10, 1888 1,583,568 Berkowitz May 4, 1926 20 1,792,414 Cole Feb. 10, 19312,362,980 Ball Nov. 21, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,561 Great Britain Oct.14, 1884

